Description

John Sheehan and Tim Huckaby discuss the developer platform for Windows 8. John covers his biggest challenges and proudest moments, and urges developers to stop watching videos and begin building apps.

Join the GenerationApp program and get a jumpstart building your Windows Store app.

About John

John Sheehan is a Partner Architect on the Windows team, where he drives the architecture of the Windows 8 Application Model. Before joining the Windows team, John was an Architect in the Server and Tools Business at Microsoft. As an STB architect, John was responsible for developing and evangelizing Microsoft Application Virtualization (App-V).

John joined Microsoft as part of the Softricity acquisition. At Softricity, he was Chief Architect. In that role, he was responsible for development of SoftGrid, the industry-leading application virtualization product focused on dynamic application delivery for Windows desktops and Terminal Services.

Before joining Microsoft, John was an Architect at Xevo Corporation, where he led the development of the core application provisioning system. Prior to Xevo, John was CTO of ResumeCard, an ASP providing technology and services to the recruiting industry. John started his engineering career working in the automotive industry, where he built vision systems that automated inspection and integrity validation on automotive assembly lines.

About Tim

Tim Huckaby is focused on the Natural User Interface (NUI) in Rich Client and Rich Internet Application (RIA) Technologies like Silverlight & WPF on the computer, the Surface, and Windows Phone 7. He has been called a "Pioneer of the Smart Client Revolution" by the press.

Tim has been awarded multiple times for the highest rated Keynote and technical presentations for Microsoft and numerous other technology conferences around the world by Microsoft Corporation. Tim has done presentations on Microsoft technologies at technology events like Microsoft Tech Ed, Product Launch events, Dev Days, MEC, World Wide Partner Conference, MGB, MGX, and the PDC, along with 3rd party technology conferences all over the world is consistently rated in the top 10% of all speakers at these events. Tim was selected by Microsoft as a speaker for the International .NET Association and speaks at events world-wide on Microsoft's behalf. Tim has done keynote demos at big Microsoft events and product launches for numerous Microsoft executives including Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer.

Tim founded InterKnowlogy, experts in Microsoft .NET and Microsoft Platforms, and Actus Interactive Software, and has 25+ years experience including serving on a Microsoft product team as a development lead on an architecture team. Tim is a Microsoft Regional Director, an MVP and serves on multiple Microsoft councils and boards like the Microsoft .NET Partner Advisory Council.

The Discussion

Let's see... I want to build a W8 app because as a developer I love the new simplified WinRT over the old Win32s that I wasn't using directly and because WPF/SL was so hard? Oh and I want to limit my application's reach to W8 PCs because WinRT is locked into W8? Sounds encouraging! When is the beta test over?

@jaimer:I have the RTM bits installed on a desktop PC and tablet. It still feels like a beta. Lots of unexpected white screen repainting in Windows Store IE -- needs more work like so many others things.

My point above is why would I want to quit watching videos and start developing apps for W8 (as John conveyed in the video) if only to be locked into such an unfinished product? This is especially true of the Windows Store app side of the house. Are the dev tools and WinRT much more refined than W8 itself and the apps that Microsoft as provided to date? If the front door is shabby I'm going to be hesitant to enter the building. Just eyeballing around VS 2012 I am lost amongst the wireframe-esk new stark look -- visual cues are all but gone. But hey it does look "MODERN"...

If W8 fails to take off on the Windows Store app side of the house I really don't want to be trapped on that island of fail. Just my opinion...

I can see two issues here, and I don't expect either to be addressed here. First that the Windows store is terrible. I find it amazing how terrible it is. Sure things like this are subjective, but they are no more so than the recognition that Gerard Depardieu has a big nose.

Secondly, Visual Studio 2012 has fallen down the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down -- again, another perfectly good example of subjectivity.

Both of which are so blatantly obvious that they will likely get patched out-of-cycle. Regardless, I believe that connect is a better venue for these kind of observations.

I can see two issues here, and I don't expect either to be addressed here. First that the Windows store is terrible. I find it amazing how terrible it is. Sure things like this are subjective, but they are no more so than the recognition that Gerard Depardieu has a big nose.

Secondly, Visual Studio 2012 has fallen down the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down -- again, another perfectly good example of subjectivity.

Both of which are so blatantly obvious that they will likely get patched out-of-cycle. Regardless, I believe that connect is a better venue for these kind of observations.

-Josh

LOL! That's a great Connect feedback. Too bad they closed it already. Denial is bliss.

@SteveRichter: The modern shell (or new start menu and Windows Store application environment) is different than the desktop shell. Thinking about them in the same way is therefore not meaningful. What would a "windows explorer namespace extension" mean in the modern shell?

... Thinking about them in the same way is therefore not meaningful. What would a "windows explorer namespace extension" mean in the modern shell?

C

don't know. Does windows 8 have a windows explorer? Does it work the same as the win7 explorer, only written using WinRT? A namespace extension enables new nodes to be added to the windows explorer hierarchy tree. Only they are incredibly difficult to write because of very cryptic COM interfaces. And they are historically written with C++, again a real hassle compared to C#. Was hoping that if the 1/2 million windows api's have been replaced with winRTclasses and methods? then windows explorer is easier to work with now.